Quarantine
by Starlite Princess
Summary: Due to a teensy little mistake the Jam Pony messengers are exposed to an unknown pathogen and have to be quarantined. Tension runs high as they're all forced to spend endless days together.
1. Prologue: In Threes

That's right, I have returned.  Months of mental anguish and overdoses of coke (the legal stuff) and sugar have finally done their job and the inspiration has hit.  Actually, I just got tired of not writing anything that even remotely made sense and decided that this writer's block shall not overtake my life.  

Yes!  I shall fight the good fight!

Of course, that means that my other projects shall have to take a back burner - they're used to it as they have been gathering dust for a couple of months - while I try to finish at least one multi-chaptered story.  Just one!

Based on the _Quarantine _challenge on the NWP board.  

Thanks to romani-princess who betaed this for me.  You're a lifesaver :)

Before I forget, again, I'd like to give a big thank you to **Sarah** - also known as **Llamas in Short Pyjamas** on ff.net - who helped me way back when during my first fic, Right Kind of Wrong.  She was a massive help in all things Dark Angel and I am forever indebted for her willingness to answer some irritating questions of mine.  Thanks girl, you're an angel :)

This is dedicated to you, Sarah.

A couple of things before beginning: while this is post LAtR, Biggs is alive.  Lets just pretend it was some other transgenic that met such a horrible fate, shall we?  Why, you ask?  Cause I said so, damnit!  And cause I liked the character, however brief his inclusion was.  Got that?  Fabulous.  Now, on with the story -

Quarantine 

Prologue: In Threes …

It is generally acknowledged that everyone has their blond moments*.  The moments in life when the gift of commonsense happens to fly happily out the nearest window leaving the unfortunate soul to deal with matters themselves.  It never works.

That morning, it was Sketchy's turn for a moment.

Honestly, he'd been building up to such a moment for a rather long time.  After a full three days with no mishaps or ridiculous little mistakes, it was natural that he'd stuff up at some stage.

Of course, in light of the manner that these moments liked to present themselves and inconvenient a whole lot of people, it was no surprise that Sketchy chose to partake in this ritual stupidity in the middle of a crowded Jam Pony on a Friday afternoon.

When he breezed into the warehouse holding a slightly battered package, no one thought too much of it.  They were after all employees of Jam Pony Express, a place where such packages were perfectly common.  It was just a normal package.

This was Sketchy's first mistake.

Who knew that such an innocuous looking item would cause so much chaos and confusion.  So many unprecedented events.  Such a great deal of braided hair and impromptu makeovers.

It was a small parcel, the size of a regular paperback book, wrapped in brown paper and tied with off-white packing string.  

And it was leaking.

Right onto Normal's paperwork.  Their bespectacled leader wasn't too impressed.

"What is this?" he demanded, pointing at the offending spill creeping toward a stack of invoices.  He scooped up the papers and hugged them possessively to his chest.

"Some old guy told me we were expecting it," Sketchy shrugged, unperturbed.  "I decided to do him a favour."

Normal gave the box a nudge across the counter.  "Expecting what?  We're not waiting for any packages," he replied, seemingly mystified.  He shuffled through the papers in his hand, looking up every now and then to send Sketchy a scathing look.  Finally, he placed the sheaf of papers on the desk behind him.  "Nope, no expectations.  I think this little treasure can be disposed of."

Sketchy nodded but made no move to pick it up.

Normal picked up the box, almost dropping it again when a rivulet of the clear liquid ran down the inside of his wrist.  By this time, Sketchy had moved away from the dispatcher's desk and was heading off to talk to Alec lounging indolently by the lockers.  

"Hey ingrate," Normal bellowed, holding out the package and attempting to wipe the stuff from his arm simultaneously.  "This goes in the dumpster.  Bip, bip."

He then threw the package, fully expecting Sketchy to catch it before it hit the floor.

The box flew into the air, arched across the floor and into Sketchy's waiting arms.

And then right through.

"Oops …"

This was Sketchy's second mistake.

Sketchy ducked down and retrieved the package.  He took a moment to peer at the label, promptly dropped the parcel back to the floor, and looked up wide-eyed, catching Alec's attention in the process.

"Hey!"  Normal's exclamation successfully shot Sketchy out of his haze.  

By this time Alec had appeared at Sketchy's side and squatted down to examine the source of Sketchy's vexation.  

The address label had already been taken care of by the leaking liquid, the writing already little more than an illegible smudge.  The sticker plastered over the top did not go unnoticed however.

"Oh, fuck …" Sketchy breathed.  

Mistake number three.

The familiar yellow glare of a biohazard sticker - and the accompanying lettering: Property of the CDC, Atlanta.

Alec looked up.  "Um boss, we have a little bit of a problem …"

to be continued …

  


* * *

* no offence intended to blonds :)


	2. Chapter One: Proper Authorities

Quarantine 

Chapter One: Proper Authorities

"He did what?"  Max demanded hotly.

Alec closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose as though attempting to ward of a headache.  "Notified the proper authorities," Alec repeated warily.  "Reps from the CDC and the FBI will be here in less than fifteen minutes.  Then there's the possible DOD and NSA involvement, especially if they decide this is some sort of biochemical weapon, not to mention the media turnout."

Max squeezed her eyes shut.  "This isn't good," she said.  "This place is gonna turn into a circus -"

"Oh, that's not the worst of it," Alec interrupted.

Max arched a disbelieving eyebrow.  "You mean there's more?"

"The CDC is warning at the possibility of a quarantine.  Two weeks, minimum."

It took a moment for it to sink into Max; for a few seconds she couldn't quite grasp the enormity of the situation.  When she did, her eyes widened.  "Two weeks stuck in Jam Pony?  With Normal?!"

Original Cindy, who had taken it upon herself to rescue Max from what appeared to be an involved and somewhat agitating conversation with Alec, chose that moment to make her presence known.  "Excuse me?"

Alec turned to the new arrival and shrugged.  "The CDC are planning on a quarantine of the premises - and that includes the personnel inside."

"Why'd they do that?"

"Cause we've all been exposed to the unknown pathogen and could potentially infect everyone we come into contact with," Alec said.

"There ain't no way Original Cindy's gonna stick around for that kinda torture," she declared adamantly.  "Sides, what in hell are you two so worried about?  You ain't in danger of catching anything."

"We'll be stuck inside Jam Pony with no way to contact Terminal City," Max reminded her.  She ran a hand through her dark hair, pushing it away from her face.  "Enough time and investigation in this place could prove dangerous, especially since half the messengers are Manticore alumni."

"And it's not like we can just walk out of here claiming immunity," Alec added.  "Might look a little suspicious."

"Oh, fuck …" Max interrupted suddenly, looking up at Alec.  "White."

Alec's eyes widened.  "He's monitoring CDC activities."

Max blinked.  "How do you know?"

His eyes darkened.  "I have my sources," he said shortly.

Deciding to ignore that for the time being in light of more pressing matters - potential exposure being but one of them - Max turned her attention back to the present situation.  "What are we going to do?"

"We can't do anything until we know for sure that we're being quarantined.  And then there's the chance that they'll figure out what's in the package within the hour and we'll be free to run merrily among the tulips."

"Shut up, Alec," Max snapped automatically.

At that moment, the Jam Pony doors - which had been immediately locked following Normal's call to the CDC - were arbitrarily flung open and all eyes turned expectantly toward the doorway.

A girl, no more than twenty and obviously pregnant, was leaning against a younger boy, her arm flung around his shoulders, her breathing laboured.  Since they'd shut the door, the gentle sprinkling that had kept up the entire day had turned into a complete downpour in the later hours.  This opinion was only reinforced by the blond dripping all over the bike ramp. 

Alec couldn't help but grin at the absurd nature of the interruption.

His grin faded as the doors were flung wide open - the second time in the last five minutes - and a group of people in biohazard suits scrambled in.

"Oh, this should be interesting," he murmured.

---------------------

Interesting indeed.

Following the arrival of the CDC members, the Jam Pony crew had immediately been assembled in front of Normal's desk for an overview of their situation.  The authorities had no idea where the package had come from; it wasn't supposed to be there - or anywhere else for that matter - nor did they have a clue as to what it actually was.

"This will involve testing of the pathogen," Dr Samantha O'Neill, a virologist from Atlanta, informed them.  "Full biological testing can take anywhere from three days to three weeks - we have to cover every possibility, especially if it is a biochemical weapon.  We do now know what we're dealing with, people, and it's our hope that we'll find out as soon as possible.  Even if we do find the nature of the pathogen, you will have to remain in quarantine in the event of a contagion."

Of course, this was also part of the official statement that the government had made to the press.  It wasn't enough that the media were having a ball with the transgenic situation - they apparently needed a couple of extracurricular activities as well.  

In light of this lockdown at Jam Pony, and the promise of spending up to two weeks with the same people twenty-four hours a day for an entire fortnight, Max was not in the least happy.  On the up side, she had Original Cindy, which somewhat made up for things.  Also, having been late on a Friday afternoon, a great deal of the messengers had already left by the time the mishap occurred.

And then there was the pregnant girl and her young male companion who'd managed to get themselves caught in the crossfire.  Gem, a pretty and vivacious girl on the way to single motherhood, and Dalton, a small and shy blond-haired cutie.  For Gem and the baby's sake she could only hope the unidentified substance would prove to be harmless.  

Alec came up beside her, crossing his arms over his chest.  "So, I guess we're going to be seeing a lot of each other."

Max couldn't help but grin at the cheerfulness in his voice.  "Shut up, Alec."

For a moment they stood in comfortable silence, surveying their surroundings and the people they would most likely be spending a substantial amount of time with.

Original Cindy sat by the lockers tending to Gem - she'd taken rather well to the responsibility of nursemaid - and chatting animatedly to Dalton.

Cece and Biggs were sitting nearby, in a huddled group of messengers.  Cece, a blue eyed, blond haired transgenic, not to mention resident martial arts expert, sat propped up against a wall, legs stretched out in front of her.  Biggs had wound his arm around her shoulders and was regaling a story or other, probably about the irrepressible Lola, judging by the expression on Sketchy's face.  Biggs and Cece had adjusted well to the JP life and had immediately been integrated into their Crash-bound clique.

Kayla, a more recent resident of Terminal City, had just joined Jam Pony a few days prior.  She was probably regretting that career move at this point.

Sketchy, naturally, had also been caught up in the quarantine - a fair assessment seeing as he'd been the cause of the damn thing in the first place.  He seemed unperturbed over the events taking place.  Indeed, after their esteemed boss had attempted to strangle the fluffy haired blond, things had quickly reverted back to normal.

Rhiannon, tall and blond, and quite possibly one of the ditziest girls on the face of the planet, sat with the rest of the group, giggling uncontrollably at something that Biggs had just said.  

Marina Blanc, a petite girl with dark hair and equally dark eyes, sat in a corner of the room, alone, set apart from the others, her nose buried in a copy of World Weekly News.

Apart from his employees, Normal was currently seated behind the dispatchers desk scribbling furiously on a notepad, no doubt trying to figure out how to continue running the business despite the quarantine.  He'd already had his fair share of panic attacks, especially considering he'd had direct contact with the … whatever it was.  But he'd calmed down somewhat - probably due to the copious amounts of coffee the CDC had graciously provided.

If there was one thing that didn't bother Max about this situation, it was the fact that they got free coffee - and not that crap that was sold through the usual channels.  This was black-market quality pre-pulse coffee.  She was in heaven.

A laugh at her side reminded her that, no, she wasn't.  

There was one more person that was sharing this little non-holiday.  

Alec.

At least she'd be provided with entertainment and, failing that, a way to let off steam.  Physical violence was a great stress reliever.  Alec was mighty convenient, wasn't he?

Alec must have seen something in her expression because he stepped sideways to avoid any attack on her behalf.  The girl was prone to attack his person for no apparent reason, and he didn't know what he could possibly have done to warrant an assault, but he wasn't taking any chances.

Finally, Max sighed.  "What are we going to do for a fortnight?"

Alec grinned cheekily.  "I'm open to suggestions."

Max crossed her arms and swept her gaze once more around Jam Pony, her home for the next two weeks.  "Shut up, Alec."

to be continued …

A/N: Not the most thrilling of chapters, but bear with me while I set up the story.  Oh dear, this could get involved, couldn't it?


End file.
